Painting by Numbers
by A resilient heart
Summary: Swan Queen. Set After 4a. 'Despite the lack of excitement in town, Emma was worried. She had promised Regina her happy ending and now she had no idea how to follow through with that promise...'
1. And Life Begins Right Away

**It had been three months** since Emma Swan had stood in the secret library of the abandoned mansion on the hill and promised Regina Mills her happy ending.

Since then Storybrooke had been uncharacteristically quiet.

No forgotten or unknown family members had shown up to create havoc for the town's citizens and no strangers had rode in to town with suspicious motives or mission statements.

The most exciting town event had been baby Neal's first birthday, and that was because Emma and Regina had shown up together with an exquisite hand-made rocking horse that they had hand made - together.

A month before the party Emma had confessed to Regina that she had no idea what she should get Baby Neal for his birthday, but she knew that she wanted to get him something really special. Regina had suggested the rocking horse. Snow had had one growing up in the summer castle and Regina had remembered how Snow had adored it. Emma and Regina had shopped all over town together but couldn't find anything that matched the beauty of Snow's old rocking horse. In the end it had been Emma's idea that they hand make the toy, and with a little (or perhaps a lot) of help from Geppetto, Emma had crafted a magnificent wooden rocking horse, just the same as the one Regina had described to Emma's delight, Regina had a hidden artistic streak and had spent night after night painting the wooden horse. Regina had painted the entire body cream and the horse's eyes were a spectacular emerald green 'Just like yours' Regina had said to Emma at the time. The wooden horse had hundreds of tiny rainbow-colored flowers through its mane that Regina had hand-painted one by one. Snow had cried when Emma and Regina had given Neal the gift and hugged Regina for an uncomfortably long time.

Everyone of course, had been invited to celebrate the infant's first birthday and now, everyone of course, was watching Snow hug Regina like her life depended on it.

Emma couldn't help but enjoy the moment, knowing how uncomfortable Regina was with the display. After she saw the Mayors face turning a hilarious shade of pink Emma felt it was her duty to cut in.

"Um, do I get a hug as well?"

"Emma, I love it. I love you" Snow released Regina and threw her arms around Emma instead.

"You are welcome" Emma said with a smile. "We based it off the rocking horse you had when you were a kid"

"I know." Snow gushed. "I can tell. It is perfect, every little detail."

Emma couldn't help but smile. And Regina, it turns out, couldn't help but stare.

* * *

Despite the lack of excitement in town, Emma was worried. She had promised Regina her happy ending and now she had no idea how to follow through with that promise.

Snow had handed back the keys to the Mayoral office months ago after realizing that running a town in a land without magic was a lot different from ruling over a Kingdom in the Enchanted Forest. All the paperwork was kind of, well… hard and boring so Snow decided that she would rather be spending time with Baby Neal than governing over a town full of idiots.

Emma knew Regina well enough to know that unless Henry was needing fed, the brunette was most likely forgetting to nourish her own body. To rectify this, Emma had started showing up in the Mayors office every day with lunch for herself and for Regina that they would eat together. Sometimes in silence, whilst Regina filled in paperwork and Emma basically watched her do so whilst pretending to read the paper or play on her phone. And sometimes they chatted, about Henry or cooking, or what was going on in town.

Unfortunately for Emma, today was a silent paperwork type of day and the blonde was getting bored.

"So" Emma sat up straight, staring at the brunette in front of her and wondering how on earth she was going to get her out of this office. "Do you have many more documents to read and sign?"

Emma wasn't surprised when Regina didn't even look up from the document she was reading to answer her. "It's never ending, Emma."

"I'll just take off then. Let you work." Emma offered without actually moving from her seat. "Unless you want to come pick up Henry with me from school?" Emma was staring at Regina with her best 'please love me' eyes, but Regina refused to look up from her work.

"School doesn't let out for another two and a half hours, Emma. What are we going to do, sit at his school and wait?"

Emma was sitting in the seat across from Regina's and sighed as dramatically as she could to get the Mayors attention.

It worked.

Regina slowly lifted her head, looked up from her desk and straight into Emma's pleading green eyes. "What is the matter, Emma?"

"Nothing" Emma groaned

"Emma?"

"I'm bored," Emma admitted, suddenly sounding more child-like than usual.

"Are you not the town sheriff?" Regina questioned. "Do you not have sheriff business to attend to?"

"I did it. And Dad is driving around in my cruiser." Emma refused to look away from Regina, instead she held the Mayors piercing gaze.

"I honestly do not know what I am paying you two for." Regina shook her head, still looking directly into Emma's eyes.

"Um, our charm and good looks?" Emma joked, flashing her brightest smile at Regina.

Regina couldn't help but give a little smile back. "Mhmm that must be it."

"So…. do you want to come down to the pier with me? Get some fresh air and then pick up Henry?" Emma smiled hopefully at the brunette.

Regina's heart skipped a beat, the way it always does when Emma smiled like that, so hopeful and innocent; so much like Henry. "Ms. Swan, as always, it seems you are going to get your way whether I like it or not."

Emma practically leaped out of her seat. "Yes! It'll be fun, I promise." Emma said enthusiastically as she helped Regina out from her desk and into her coat.

"I know it will be, Emma." Regina whispered as she lent towards the blonde, reached out both of her hands and zipped up Emma's red leather jacket for her. "As long as you keep warm."

* * *

Regina and Emma had spend the afternoon down on the pier playing Emma's favorite game of 'where would you like to go if you could go anywhere in the world?'

"Only in this world, dear?" Regina questioned, making sure she fully understood the rules. "Or can it be anywhere in any realm?"

"Um." Emma stopped walking and leant against the railing to think "any realm."

Regina stopped besides Emma on the railing, her left arm slightly grazing Emma's right. "Ok, well, perhaps Tuscany."

Emma turned her face to look at Regina. "I said any realm."

Regina did the same. "Yes and I answered Tuscany."

The two women were once again staring into each other's eyes. "Why Tuscany?" Emma questioned?

Regina looked away, and began staring at the sea birds that flew just above the water below them. "Before you came here, and well, everything happened, I used to spend a lot of time reading and watching films." Regina was slow as she spoke, always careful not to reveal too much or say the wrong thing. "Whenever I came across Tuscany in these books or films I just always felt drawn to it. I would love to go there and spend my days painting water colors and visiting their art schools."

Emma was still staring intently at Regina. "Who would you go with?"

Regina looked up at Emma. "Henry of course." She answered smiling. "And I guess you could come to." Regina tapped Emma left arm playfully.

Emma smiled back. "Really?"

Regina's breathing hitched at vulnerability in Emma's voice. "Yes, of course Really."

Emma linked her arm through Regina's and the two of them began walking back down the pier. "We should definitely go there one day."

"Who would look after the town?" Regina wondered aloud.

"My parents." Emma teased, playfully knocking her hips with Regina's.

"Emma!"


	2. The Good Samaritan

**Friday 11am**

Regina's heart stopped the exact moment her head began to spin. She sat in her Mercedes, which was parked in the car park of the town hall, hands shaking. She had been called in to adjudicate a dispute between Storybrooke's small business owners and the towns' public transport workers. The small business owners were sick of big buses being parked out the front of their establishments all day and the bus drivers were sick of the shop owners complaining, after all they had to park somewhere. Regina sided with the bus drivers, with the added caveat that they wouldn't be parked in the same spot for longer than 15 minutes and all buses were required to be back at the bus depot overnight. Both parties were happy with the compromise and Regina had felt that her morning had been a success. But now as the Mayor sat in her car, and stared at her phone for the first time in two hours, panic swelled in her chest.

_17 missed calls from Emma Swan_

_6 Text messages_

_'__Regina, call me back'_

_'__Where are you?'_

_'__Answer your phone.'_

_'__Call me ASAP'_

_'__911'_

_'__REGINA'_

* * *

The town Mayor threw her phone into her bag and started her car, spinning out of that parking lot as fast as she could manage. It had to be Henry; something had to be wrong. He was supposed to be in school today. But the school hadn't called to say there was an accident. What if he never got there? Regina put her foot on the gas. She got to the Sheriff's station in record time; illegally parked directly at the front entrance and ran inside.

"Emma." Regina called out the blonde's names as she pushed through the glass doors.

Emma spun around at the sound of Regina's voice. "Regina, where have you been?" the blonde asked, cheeks and eyes red, clearly distressed.

"Town Hall" Regina answered, slightly out of breath and obviously concerned. "In a meeting. What is wrong? Where is Henry?"

Emma's faced dropped. "Henry?" she questioned. "I thought he was at school." Panic was now rising in the blonde woman's voice at the thought of Henry being in trouble. "Where is he?"

"Ms. Swan." Regina said, now with calm in her voice. Henry was okay and Regina was just now processing the scene in front of her. Emma was standing by her desk, food all over her skinny leg jeans. Play dough in her hair. Her white singlet top was see-through with juice stains. Her eyes looked red from crying. "I am sure Henry is safe at school. I see now that the problem isn't with him, but with you. What has happened here?"

Emma looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment. Instead she pointed to the baby crib that had a permanent home in the sheriff station and sighed, "Baby Neal is here. He is asleep now."

Regina couldn't help but smile at how disheveled the blonde in front of her looked, all over a tiny baby. "And why have you been calling me all morning?"

"I can't do it." Emma admitted, as a single tear crawled down her face. "Baby Neal hates me. He cried all morning. Nothing I did made him happy. He eventually fell asleep crying."

Regina took a tentative step towards Emma. "Emma, looking after a baby takes practice. It isn't easy." Regina took another step closer. "You don't need to be so upset about this."

With her third step closer Regina was now close enough to the sheriff to feel the other woman's body heat.

Regina reached down to the Sheriff's desk to collect a tissue from the tissue box and very gently wiped away, what Regina recognized to be her homemade applesauce, from the side of the blonde's neck. "Where are Snow and David?"

Emma was perfectly still as Regina started cleaning bits of mess from her neck, put down the tissue and then began very slowly and carefully removing play-dough from her hair. "They are staying at the abandoned mansion for the weekend." Emma spoke softly and remained frozen at Regina's touch. "Belle was telling them how she had stayed there for her honeymoon and I offered to babysit for the weekend so that they could have some time to themselves, but I have only had baby Neal for a few hours and I don't think I can do this."

Regina could tell that Emma was becoming upset again so did her best to calm her. "Emma, just breath. I am here now. It will be okay." Standing directly in front of the blonde, Regina placed both of her hands on each of Emma's forearms and gave a gentle squeeze. "How about we both call it a day at the office, all three of us can go back to my house and you and Neal will stay with Henry and I for the weekend."

Emma sniffed a little and then shook her head. "Regina, I couldn't. That is too much of an imposition."

Both women stood in silence for a moment, Regina suddenly acutely aware of her hands still on Emma. "Nonsense." Regina broke the silence. "Think of how much Henry would love it." Regina slowly and reluctantly released Emma from her grip. "You gather all Baby Neal's belongings and I will put him in the car and you can meet me outside."

Earlier that morning, Snow had dropped Neal of at the station with an unnecessary amount of toys and diapers so that by the time Emma had packed up everything and was ready to go, Regina had already moved the baby car seat from the Bug to the Mercedes and strapped Neal in safely.

Regina was already sitting in the drivers seat so Emma loaded all of Baby Neal's belonging into the back seat beside her brother and the scooted in the passenger's seat besides Regina.

"I'll drop you back here Monday morning. I am sure the death trap will be safe at the station until then." Regina reassured, seeing the concern in Emma's face.

"Oh no, it's not that. It's just… I am really glad that we are friends now. I couldn't do this without you." Emma gushed.

"Well don't get to emotional about it." Regina started up the car. "I can't have you traumatizing my step-grandson all weekend now, can I?" Regina teased.

Emma laughed. "I can not believe you just called Baby Neal your step-grandson."

"Ugh. Neither can I." Regina dramatically shivered at the thought. "Tell anyone Ms. Swan, and I will end you."

* * *

**Friday 12pm**

Baby Neal was asleep in Henry's old crib. Regina had gotten it out of storage months ago when Snow had asked Regina to babysit one night whilst her and David went out for a much needed adult date night. All those years ago when Henry was a baby, Regina had painted the crib a light shade of blue, and in beautiful white stencil letters painted the name **HENRY** across the bottom rim. Recently Regina had added to the crib, next door to Henry's name in beautiful gold calligraphy letters were the words 'and baby Neal'. The gesture had made both Snow and David cry and Regina immedietly regretted showing them.

Emma was upstairs in Regina's ensuite showering, Regina declairing the minute that they arrived home that Emma was started to smell and perhaps that some of that food in her hair may actually be baby vomit.

And so in this rare moment of peace and quiet Regina took the chance to send out some text messages.

First to Henry -

_'__Emma and Baby Neal are staying with us for the weekend. Please be home by 6 for dinner. I love you.'_

_'__That's awesome! Emma freak out looking after uncle Neal?"_

_"__Something like that. But we are being SUPPORTIVE."_

_"__I know, I know. See you at 6. Love you."_

And then to Snow -

_"__Emma and Baby Neal are staying with Henry and I for the weekend if you are looking for them."_

_"__Ok great. Everything okay?"_

_"__Yes."_

_"__Ok have fun."_

**Friday 1pm**

When Emma came back down stairs she had freshly cleaned, and still slightly wet, hair and was wearing a pair of Regina's yoga pants and a plain grey tee that Regina had left out for her. "I can't believe Baby Neal is still asleep. You must be the baby whisperer."

Regina chuckled, "oh I think you just wore him out this morning with all the fun you were having."

Emma and Regina both stood in the foyer awkwardly, neither certain of what to do next.

"Join me in the kitchen?" Regina suggest as she turned to lead the way. Regina walked around the island bench to put the kettle on. Emma sat on a kitchen stool opposite her. "I was thinking we could make something special for dinner seen as you and Baby Neal are here."

"Oh you don't need to do that, Regina."

"It will be fun, we can cook together." Regina caught the blonde's green eyes and gave a small smile. "And it will be nice for Henry."

"Um," Emma looked down at the counter, breaking contact with the dark brown eyes in front of her "I don't actually know how to cook."

Regina began moving around the kitchen, pulling down a teapot from the shelving above her. "Do you have a preference for tea?" Regina asked.

"No, anything is great."

Regina reached into the cupboard below her and retrieved a beautiful wooden box full of tea leaves. "This is Henry's favorite, Apple and Vanilla"

"Perfect." Emma watched the Brunette as she danced around her kitchen making tea and then stepping up on a stepladder to reach some cookbooks that were in a cupboard above her. Emma was amazed at how a woman who had once been deemed as 'evil' could look so innocent.

And Regina it turns out, smiled. Often. Which surprised Emma.

"So, Ms. Swan, if you don't cook, what do you feed our son when he is with you?" Regina placed a cup of tea in front of Emma and one in front of herself, the teapot sitting in-between the two women.

"Well, I can cook some things. I can steam up vegetables and pasta is always an easy option." Emma took a sip of her tea "Wow, this is really good tea."

"I thought you might like it." Regina glanced at Emma whilst she tasted the tea.

"It is just that Henry raves on and on about your cooking."

Regina blushed; unaware that Henry was praising her to others. "Well, lucky for you Ms. Swan, I am here to teach you the art of cooking." Regina began flicking through her cookbooks. "What shall we make?"

**Friday 2pm**

Regina and Emma had decided on cooking Lamb with Beetroot and Freekah Succotash. Mainly because when they got to that page in the cookbook Emma exclaimed loudly 'what the hell is Succotash?' and Regina wanted to show off a little bit.

The two women managed to create a rhythm in the kitchen, which consisted of Regina showing Emma how to do something, and then Emma having a go of it. Emma was taken aback with how often Regina would stand behind her, place her hand on Emma's arm just below her elbow and slowly move her hand down Emma's lower arms until her hand was placed firmly on top of the blondes. Once Regina's hand was on top of Emma's, fingers lightly intertwined Regina would guide Emma is a cutting or stirring motion, whichever the recipe called for at the time. Emma wished she knew more about cooking because she wasn't sure if this was just a good teaching practice. Or something else.

"Why do you taste it before you have finished putting in the spices?" Emma asked, mainly as a cover when Regina had caught her staring a little too intensely, as the Mayor dipped her finger into the beetroot mix and lead it to her mouth.

"You need to taste it at every single step so that you know how much of the next ingredient to add." Regina explained, reaching across and taking Emma by the hand. "Here you try."

Regina dipped a spoon into the mixture and motioned for Emma that she tastes it, which of course Emma did. "But don't you just follow the recipe?" Emma asked, a little bit flushed after having Regina Mills be that close to her mouth.

"Some people do." Regina put down the spoon in her hand and turned faced Emma "I don't. To me, cooking is like painting. There are basic rule and techniques that you follow, but it is your creativity and imagination that allows you to create something unique.

"Unique like us." Emma smiled at the brunette.

"Yeah yeah, maybe even special." Regina mocked the blonde, moving her fingers through the leftover flour on the bench and then flicking it in Emma's direction.

"Hey! If I wanted food thrown at me I'd go and wake up Baby Neal thank you very much." Emma objected whilst taking a step back from Regina.

"Sorry, it wont happen again." Regina promised, using her index finger to cross her heart.

"Not by you at least" Emma quickly gathered flour straight from the bag, opened her palm, and blew it in Regina's direction, before running out of the kitchen, down the foyer, and out into the backyard for safety.

**Friday 5 pm**

Dinner was prepped and cooking in the oven.

Regina had showered and changed into her pajama pants and a sky blue singlet top.

Emma had been banished to clean up duties in the kitchen, for her crimes of treason against the Queen.

And Baby Neal woke up with a scream.

"I'll get him." Regina called out to Emma from her office. Regina had always had a soft spot for babies and children, and although she wouldn't admit it to Emma (or Snow!) she enjoyed spending time with Baby Neal. It reminded her of when Henry was a baby and they would spend their days painting and creating cardboard spaceships to fly around the backyard in.

And Baby Neal, to everyone's surprise, had a soft spot for Regina. He cooed whenever she picked him up and you could see his face light up when she walked into the room. Today was no exception. Baby Neal stopped crying the minute he saw Regina and put his arms up for her to pick him up. She held him close and together they went into the kitchen to see how Emma was going.

"You are so good with him." Emma smiled as Regina walked into the room, baby in arms. "I wish I could do that."

"You can, Emma." Regina walked towards the fridge and took out a jar of her homemade applesauce. "You are just scared. Grab a spoon and come with me."

Regina lead Emma into the family room and two women sat down side by side on the couch. Regina handed Baby Neal over to Emma and Baby Neal contently started playing with the sheriff's long blonde hair. "See, he loves you. Babies cry sometimes and sometimes they are fussy." Regina began opening the applesauce and spoon-feeding baby Neal as he sat on Emma's lap. "But that is no reflection on you, it is just the way babies are."

"I bet you didn't have any trouble with Henry though." Emma sighed, looking at the brunette.

"You'd be surprised." Regina confessed, staring right back at the blonde.

The two women sat in comfortable silence for a minute or two whilst Regina fed Baby Neal. "Will you tell me about when Henry was a baby?" Emma whispered. "Please."

**Friday 6pm**

When Henry walked through the door of his house, both his moms and Baby Neal were sitting on the floor of the family room gushing over old photo albums.

"Henry. How was school?" Regina asked her son. "Come sit with us."

Henry dropped his school bag on floor and eagerly joined his family in the family room. "It was fine." Henry shrugged, picking up a photo that had fallen out of its album. "Hey, I remember this." The photo was one of Henry when he was about five years old standing by a snowman that was double his height and wearing a set of Regina's pearls. "You and I made this Snowman together and then I insisted that we dress him."

"But then you decided it was a girl and insisted she wear my favorite pearls." Regina added.

"Because she didn't fit in any of your dresses!" Henry and Regina both laughed at the memory. "What are you guys doing with these?" Henry asked his moms, pointing at the photo albums.

"Your mom was just telling me about how adorable you were as a baby" Emma chimed in, scuffing Henry's hair and then standing up "but I had better go check on dinner?"

"You're cooking?" Henry yelled out after his other mother.

"Don't worry, I helped." Regina winked at her son.

**Friday 8pm**

Dinner had been a success and now Henry was upstairs doing homework, Regina was on the floor of the living room playing with Baby Neal and Emma, on her own insistence, had just finished cleaning up the kitchen. When Emma found Regina on floor playing with Baby Neal she couldn't help but stare until she was caught by Regina. Both women blushed but neither looked away. "Should I put him in his crib from the night?" Emma asked.

"Yes, that is probably a good idea." Regina stood up and collected Neal in her arms "I'll come with you."

Neal went down without a fuss and the two women stood there watching him for a little while.

"He looks a lot like you." Regina whispered to Emma.

"You think so?" Emma turned to face Regina. "No one has ever said that before."

"He has your good cheekbones," Regina said matter-of-factly "and those serious eyebrows of yours."

"I don't have serious eyebrows." Emma objected.

"Yes you do!" Regina raised her finger and touched Emma's forehead. She softly drew a line above Emma's left eyebrow and then her right. "When you are really annoyed your eyebrows turn serious. Just like Baby Neal's do when he is hungry or tired."

"You know what?" Emma offered. "I am probably not annoyed then. I am probably just hungry and tired."

Regina laughed, "I'll be sure to keep more snacks with me from now on then."


	3. The Art of Painting

**A/N Thanks for the follows and reviews. I really appreciate it x**

* * *

Despite the Egyptian cotton bed sheets that she was loosely wrapped up in, Emma Swan tossed and turned in the queen size, four-poster bed that she was supposed to be sleeping in. Emma had resigned herself to bed much earlier than usual, not wanting to be in the Mayors way and now found herself, regretting the impromptu decision. Earlier, the two women had put Baby Neal down to sleep without a fuss and then not long after that Henry had come down stairs to say goodnight. With both the boys tucked away safely for the night, Emma had awkwardly said goodnight to Regina and made herself at home in the guestroom.

She now felt pointedly foolish. Emma's mind was suddenly clouded by the day's events. The wide-awake blonde couldn't stop thinking about the ways in which Regina touched her arms when they were cooking or the way Regina had seemed to stare at Emma all throughout dinner. Emma could admit to herself that she had done her fair share of staring during the day, but it was only because she had never seen the brunette move so freely or laugh so carelessly as she did in her own home. Emma had been somewhat hypnotized by the image of the evil queen, in her pajamas playing with Baby Neal on the floor of her family room. It was an image she couldn't shake. And the more she lay in bed thinking about Regina the more she wished she was still up watching the brunette do what she was doing right now.

* * *

Regina Mills was sitting in her home office catching up on all the work she had fallen behind on by missing the day at the office. Or at least she was trying to. The mayor was finding it very difficult to concentrate knowing that Emma Swan was asleep upstairs in her house. She had never expected that she would become such fast friends with Emma. But ever since Robin had left, Regina had found herself spending most of her free time with the blonde upstairs. Regina found Emma's honesty refreshing, and was amused by her occasional coyness. She had recently taken to studying Emma's features. She found herself intrigued as to how Emma could look so much like Snow but have such a sticking resemblance to Charming. It annoyed Regina to admit that she found Emma breathtakingly beautiful, and she illogically concluded that it had nothing to do with genetics and was pure luck. Perhaps magic.

'Damn it' Regina thought to herself, 'Enough Emma Swan. _Get some work done, woman'_

* * *

When Baby Neal started crying at two am, Regina was still awake, working in her office, and so she immediately attended to the infant. She picked him up out of his crib and walked him into the kitchen where she heated up a bottle of milk from the fridge.

Emma had always been a light sleeper, and hearing the noise dragged herself out of bed to check on her little brother. When he wasn't in his crib, Emma tiptoed downstairs to find Regina and baby Neal in the kitchen.

"Hi" Emma said sheepishly, still in a slight state of sleep.

"Emma." Regina whispered, "You didn't have to get up, I was already up." Regina had started to boil some water to heat the bottle up in.

"You were?" Emma queried "why?"

"I am not a big sleeper." Regina shrugged, placing the bottle in the boiling water. Once it was the right temperature the three of them went and sat on the couch in the living room.

Emma took Baby Neal from Regina's arms. "You can go to bed Regina, you don't have to do this."

"I really don't mind." Regina whispered, finding herself drawn to Emma's bedroom eyes and messy hair.

The three of them sat in silence whilst Baby Neal drank his bottle. When he was finished with the milk but still wasn't asleep Emma wasn't sure what to do next. "What do we do now?"

"When Henry was young I used to tell him stories to help him fall asleep. You could try that?"

"I don't know how to just make up a story." Emma looked imploringly at Regina through her sleepy green eyes, "Can you do it? Please."

Regina giggled and nodded her head "And suddenly I have three children." Regina moved a cushion from her back and placed it on her lap. "Lay down with him" Regina instructed patting the pillow "It will help him sleep". Emma lay on her back, her head resting on the cushion on Regina's lap, arms wrapped around Baby Neal and thought to herself that somehow this was far more comfortable than the luxury bed upstairs.

_A long time ago, in a magical land far away from this one, there was a princess who lived in a beautiful palace. Her people considered this princess, to be one of the luckiest girls in all the land. She had so many beautiful things that other girls in the kingdom could only dream of having. She had handmade dresses of silver and gold and tiaras made out of diamonds. She had rare glass slippers and mermaids' pearls. She had a maid who cleaned up after her and a cook that would make her any meal she desired. The princess had it all._

Regina noticed that both Baby Neal and Emma had already closed their eyes. She paused to check if they were asleep. Placing her hand on baby Neal's back, she could tell that he was.

"Keep going" Emma breathed, almost a whisper.

Regina was feeling brave in the dark and ran her fingers through Emma's long blonde hair. "Neal's asleep, Emma."

"I'm not," Emma silently replied, with a sleepy, almost child-like voice that Regina hadn't heard from the Sheriff before. "Please."

Regina left her left hand on Baby Neal's back and with the other continued to run her fingers through Emma's hair.

_But the princess didn't want any of these things. The princess wanted to be outside in the fresh air with her horse. The princess wanted to ride across the land and fall in love and meet interesting people and have adventures of her own. She didn't care about money, or power or being a princess. _

_But no matter what the princess did, no matter how hard she tried, or how good she was, the princess could never have any of those things that her heart desired. For you see, the princess' Mother was a cruel woman, who kept her daughter as a prisoner in the lavish castle. One day the princess had decided that she had had enough of living in the castle so she choose a rare time when she knew that no one would be watching her and the princess took off on her horse. Together, the princess and her beloved horse rode for miles across the land. The princess had never felt more alive. She was free. She could go anywhere she wanted and do anything she wanted to do. But what the princess didn't know was that the gods had already decided her fate. They had decided that the princess was not to have happiness in her life. That the princess was to always remain a prisoner. _

_When the princess and her horse neared the edge of the kingdom, the princess began to feel a chill in the air. She rode her horse as fast as she could but she knew she could not escape her fate. The princess' mother had been waiting for her all along, and when the princess arrived at the border, her mother used magic to capture the Princess and force her back to the castle. _

_The princess begged and pleaded with her Mother to let her go. But her Mother refused. The princess's mother believed that power and wealth was more important than love and happiness and nothing could change her mind._

_Angry with her daughter for trying to escape, the princess's mother sold the princess to an ogre who kept her in a castle and forced her to be his prisoner and his Queen. _

Baby Neal let out a single small sigh as he slept which shook Regina out of the world of her story and back to reality. Emma moved her left hand that had been resting on baby Neal and entwined it with Regina's hand that was also resting on the babies back. "Keep going." Emma whispered.

"I don't think I should" Regina squeezed Emma's hand, realizing that she had already opened up too much. "It is late, we should sleep. I promised Henry we would do something fun in the morning."

* * *

When Regina awoke the bright red letters on her clock radio beside her bed was flashing 9:00am. She could not believe that she slept in, and couldn't remember the last time that she had. The mayor slipped into the silk robe that hang on the back of her door and made her way downstairs where she found Emma Swan in her kitchen, wearing her apron and making breakfast.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty" Emma turned from what she was cooking to smile at the brunette. "Or can I not say that now that she is an actual person?"

Regina smiled back "Good morning, Ms Swan. And I am not sure. It is too early for abstract thought." Regina walked around the island bench to see what Emma was cooking and raised an impressed eyebrow and the omelets cooking in the fry pan "but we can ask Henry."

"He is my go to person for most fairy tale related queries," Emma admitted with a small laugh. "Sit down, I'll bring you you're coffee, and when they are ready, eggs a la Emma"

"Why, thank you." Regina smiled at the blonde. "You're in an awfully good mood considering we were up all night with the baby." Regina moved back around the island bench as she spoke and sat down on the kitchen stool.

Emma sat a fresh cup of coffee in front of Regina. "You were up all night. I was up for about an hour." Emma corrected. "Thank you by the way, you're amazing."

"No need, Emma." Regina took a sip of her coffee and wasn't surprised that it was tailor made to her liking – a double shot with a teaspoon of condensed milk. "Where are the kids?"

"Henry is outside playing with Baby Neal." Emma replied moving an omelet from the pan onto a plate and garnishing with fresh basil that Emma had picked from Regina's garden. "I wouldn't let Henry wake you, but he wants to know if we can go to the beach today?"

"Of course. That sounds perfect." Regina agreed, taking a bite of the eggs Emma placed in front of her. "Just like your omelet, it appears."

* * *

Emma, Regina, Henry and Baby Neal were the only people on the beach that day, which wasn't surprising considering the beaches in Storybrooke, Maine were often deserted due to the cold weather. It was Neal's first time at the beach and Henry relished in showing him how to build his first sand castle. "Mom Ma check this out" Henry and Baby Neal had built a castle and used a stick in the sand to write 'Swan-Mills Castle" in the sand surrounding it.

"Truly a masterpiece" Regina exclaimed reaching for her phone to take a photo to send to Snow and David.

"An artist, just like your mother" Emma gushed smiling at Henry and then Neal and lastly Regina.

Regina rolled her eyes "I am hardly an artist"

"Sure you are Mom." Henry jumped in. "Ma, have you seen all of Mom's paintings in the basement?"

"What?" Emma turned to Regina "You've been holding out me!"

"They are not that exciting, Emma"

"Can I see them?"

"Would it make a difference if I said no?" Regina questioned the blonde

Emma shook her head "Afraid not."

"I'll show you tonight, dear."

Henry jumped up and interrupted his Mothers who seemed to be somewhat lost in each other's eyes. "Um, speaking of tonight. Can I still stay with Nicholas and Ava?"

"Oh Henry, I completely forgot about that." Regina admitted "Do you have to do it tonight, it isn't often Emma comes to stays with us."

"Hey, no it's cool" Emma chimed in. "If the kid has plans I don't expect him to cancel last minute." Emma caught a glimpse of Regina staring at her. "I mean, if it's cool with you."

"If it is okay with Emma it is okay with me. You can go."

"Thanks moms" Henry kissed both Regina and then Emma on the cheeks before high fiving Baby Neal.

* * *

Later that evening, when Regina had returned from dropping Henry off at the Zimmer household she could see that Emma had both feed and bathed Baby Neal all on her own and now the two of them were sitting on the couch playing with Neal's abacus.

"Look at you" Regina commented proudly as she walked in and sat down besides the due of her couch "you are a natural."

"Thanks" Emma gushed at Regina "I am learning from the best."

The two women were silent as the watched Neal laugh in joy as his moved the beads on his wooden toy. Regina shifted on the couch to be closer to the two, tickling Baby Neal, and knocking knees with Emma. Emma was the one who finally spoke "So, what does a Queen do on a Saturday night when her son isn't here?"

"Well, I might normally start by opening a bottle of wine" Regina raised her eyebrows at the blonde. "If you're interested?"

Emma's eyes glistened at the suggestion and stood up with Baby Neal in arms. "I'll put this little darling down for the night and then come join you in the kitchen."

Regina stood up and placed a kiss on Baby Neal's forehead, "Good night, little prince."

* * *

By the time Emma returned to the kitchen Regina was already preparing a salad and sipping on a glass of red wine. Resting on a coaster on the kitchen bench was another glass of red wine, obviously meant for Emma. Emma lifted the glass and took a sip before walking around the kitchen bench to the side Regina was standing on. Emma moved around Regina, placed her left hand on the brunettes lower back for just a moment, before asking, "what are you making?"

Regina's breathing hitched as she felt Emma's fingertips on her body; she took a moment before answering "I was just quickly putting together a salad and there is some left over lamb from last night that I thought we could have for dinner, If that's okay with you."

"That sounds perfect. Can I help?"

"Everything is basically done, you could set the table"

Emma moved around the kitchen as if it was her own. She set down two plates and two sets of silverware and hesitated before deciding to light the candle that was already sitting on the table.

* * *

Two hours later the bottle of wine sat empty on the kitchen table. "But you promised me that you would." Emma whined as she stared at the brunette sitting across from her.

"I made no such promise." Regina objected playfully and with a laugh. "But I can see that you are not going to give up on this."

"You see right, your majesty." Emma stood up in front of Regina and offered the queen her hand to take. Regina clasped Emma's hand with her own and Emma pulled the brunette from her seat. "Now, take me to your paintings."

"Very well." Regina began to walk forward with her hand still entwined with Emma's "follow me."

Neither woman let go of the others hand as Regina lead Emma through the hallway and down a set of stairs that lead to a basement. When Regina used her magic to make all the lights turn on Emma gasped at what she saw. The entire basement was set up as an art studio. There were four easels set up, each with unfinished paintings on them, a stack of blank canvases, an artist's desk set up with different types of paints and paint brushes. There was paint-covered material on the floor and a 5-foot tall speaker in the corner. Best of all, there were Regina's paintings everywhere.

"Wow, Regina. This is…" But Emma couldn't think of the right words to describe what she was feeling. She had no idea that Regina was an artist, and the newfound discovery had her wondering what else she didn't know about the woman whose hand she was still holding onto. "May I?" Emma asked Regina, motioning towards the room.

"Please do." Regina squeezed Emma's hand before releasing it and motioning to the blonde that it was ok for her to enter.

* * *

Emma decided that she had two favorite paintings. One was of Rocinante standing over a faceless girl, a girl that Emma realized could have easily been a young Regina or Snow. The other was a self-portrait of Regina looking into a mirror, but instead of her reflection it was Henry's face looking back at her. There were also paintings of Snow when she was younger and a there were a lot of canvases that had been painted with dark abstract images that Emma didn't quite understand but she could see they represented pain and loneliness.

"So, where have you hidden all your painting of me?" Emma joked, turning from the paintings to face Regina.

"I had to destroy them after I had put a hex on them." Regina deadpanned at the blonde.

"Ha-ha, very funny." Emma raised her eyebrows at the Mayor. "Wait. That was a joke wasn't it?"

"Yes, Ms. Swan" Regina rolled her eyes "Only an amateur would waste a hex on a painting when the real life subject is always hanging around."

Emma lowered her eyes at Regina before nodding in agreement "actually, that does make sense." Emma was once again moving around the room and touching things that stood out to her. "So, can we paint something?"

Regina raised an eyebrow "You and me?"

Emma nodded and smiled.

"I'll need more wine."

* * *

Nearly an hour later, Regina had painted Emma's portrait. In the picture the Blonde was wearing her token red leather jacket and skinny jeans and standing in the Mayor's driveway, facing the doorway of the Mansion. Behind Emma, the hedges of the Mansion were dark and over-grown, blocking any exit from the driveway. Emma had also been busy painting and her side of the canvas was covered in stars and swirls of galaxies.

"Ms. Swan. How exactly do your stars and swirls fit in with this painting?

"Umm…" Emma hesitated. "I am not actually sure; I just thought it would be pretty."

Regina glared disapprovingly at Emma before smiling. "You're right. I love it." Regina laughed, flicking up her paint brush and marking Emma's cheek with a dot of red paint.

"Hey!" Emma objected at the same time as lifting up her own paint brush to flick yellow specks at the Mayor.

Regina retaliated by dipping her index finger into a pot of paint and running down Emma's arm.

Emma retaliated by smudging paint all over the palm of her hand and placing palm prints on Regina's shoulders.

Regina took a step towards Emma, touched her nose, painting the tip pink.

Emma took a step towards Regina and drew a line of red down Regina's neck.

Both women's movements were beginning to slow down; their eye contact was as piercing as it had ever been; they were close enough to hear each other breathing.

Emma moved a strand of wayward hair from Regina's face.

Regina blushed and broke eye contact with the blonde.

"I have an idea." Emma was smiling as she voiced her brilliance. "But you have to trust me."


	4. Art Like Love is Dedication

_A/N Sorry for the delay in getting this up. I will try and post again ASAP. Thank you so much for your reviews, I really appreciate that you take the time x _

"Trust you?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow. "When you were just this very second attacking me with paint?"

"Um, pretty sure you started that."

"And where is your prove of that, Miss Swan?"

"We both know the truth." Emma took a tentative step towards the brunette and held out her hand for Regina to take. "So, do you trust me?"

Regina wrapped her fingers around Emma's, "For now."

Emma led Regina back up to the first floor of the mansion, and then up the stairs to the next level. Still hand in hand, Emma opened the door to the Mayor's bedroom and guided the brunette inside.

Emma reluctantly released Regina's hand and opened up the brunette's walk in wardrobe.

"Looking for something in particular, Ms. Swan?"

"Yes. And I found it. Put this on." Emma had pulled down a once folded pair of yoga pants from the top shelf and thrown them at the Mayor. "And these," Emma picked up the Mayor's running shoes and handed them to Regina.

"Do you care to tell me why?"

"Nope." I am going to go get changed, meet me down stairs in 5 minutes.

10 minutes later Regina was downstairs dressed in yoga pants, an oversized knitter jumper and her runners waiting for Emma Swan who appeared in her jeans and a hoodies, a very suspicious backpack on her back and an almost Henry sized canvas under her left arm. Emma walked passed Regina and, as appeared to be the theme of the night, grabbed the brunette's hand and pulled her along with her towards the back door "Come on."

"What are we doing outside, Emma?"

"Everything feels different at night. Don't you think?"

"I guess so."

"Like secrets that you tell are somehow safe." Emma's voice was quitter than usual as she squeezed Regina's hand. "Like they're trapped in the darkness."

Regina squeezed Emma's hand back. "I don't tell secrets anymore."

"I know"

The two women stood in silence for a moment and listened to the wind moving around them.

It was Regina who eventually broke that silence "So what are we doing out here?"

"Oh, well I thought you could paint me something."

"Outside?"

"I want you to paint me secret. So it has to be outside, in the dark."

"I see."

"Whose secret am I going to paint?"

Emma turned so that she was facing Regina and stared into the chocolate eyes in front of her "Mine."

Regina took a step towards Emma closing any remaining space that might have been between them. Both women's breathing became heavy. Regina's eyes moved from Emma's eyes to her slightly open lips and then back up to her eyes. They were entering dangerous territory and the Mayor knew it. "What are we doing?" Regina whispered, her voice barely audible.

Emma touched Regina's cheek and both women stood frozen for what to Regina, felt like forever. Emma removed her fingers from Regina's cheek and took a step back. "I'm going to tell you a story. And as I speak, you can paint. Are you in?"

"I'm in."

Minutes later Regina was sitting in front of a blank canvas that was leaning against the wall of the mansion. Emma was sitting against the wall, next to canvas staring at the mayor. Emma had brought only a selection of paints and paintbrushes outside with them and Regina had placed them all out on the grass to her side. "Ok Emma, I am ready."

_Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was different from all the people around her. This little girl wasn't made from blood and bones like everyone else. She wasn't born into this world the way most people were. She didn't have a mother or a father. This little girl was created from the darkness and the wind. She appeared one day on the side of an abandoned road. She was an accumulation of the secrets of the universe. And she was a mistake. People avoided the girl; they could tell that she was different from them. And although people couldn't see that instead of blood she had wind circulating throughout her body, they could tell that she didn't belong. Other kids asked the girl who her mother and father were. She told them that she didn't have any. That one day she just appeared. Eventually the other children learned to avoid the girl. The girl travelled through cities looking to find other people who were made out of the wind, and then one day, she found one._

_This girls name was Lily. Lily told the girl that she too was a child of the wind and was looking for a place to belong. _

_The two girls created their own kingdom, far away from the people one had rejected them for so long. _

_Loved each other and they understood that they were the only ones like them._

_Then one day the girl found out that Lily had been lying all along. She was not a child of the wind. She was made of blood and bones like everyone else. Lily cried and begged the girl to let her stay in the kingdom. Although Lily was made from blood; inside her heart she felt like a child of the wind. The girl said that that didn't count, and that they were not the same, and she banished Lily from the kingdom._

_The girl once again went on a search to find a person of the wind and it wasn't long before she found a potential friend. The woman that she found was not made from blood and bones, but she was also not made of wind. She was made from ice. The two attempted a bond and the girl didn't mind that the woman was made of ice. But the ice woman couldn't accept that the girl was made from wind. The Ice woman as looking for other ice women and tried to change the wind girl. But the wind girl could not become ice. For she was wind. And the two were forced to part. _

_It was many years later when the wind girl came across another wind girl. This second wind girl did not know she was a wind girl because she had grown up with parents and so she assumed she was blood and bones. But like the first girl, this girl was forged from the secrets of the night. _

_The first wind girl thought that she had found her home with the second wind girl, but the second wind girl did not like the first wind girl at all. She didn't understand her. She didn't know what it meant to be a wind girl. Because she didn't know she was one._

_The first wind girl cried for she had spent her whole life searching for another wind girl and she knew that if another wind girl couldn't love her, then no one ever would. _

It was too dark for Emma to see but Regina had tears running down her cheek and before Emma could say another word the brunette had put the paintbrush down and curled up besides Emma, against the wall. Turning her head to face the blonde Regina placed a slow kiss on Emma's cheek. Emma rested her head on Regina's shoulder. Regina wrapped her fingers around Emma's. Emma squeezed Regina's hand. Regina placed another kiss on the top of Emma's head. Emma brought Regina's hand up to lips and placed a soft kiss on the top of hand.

The two sat together and watched the world lighten around them.

At 6am the two women found themselves inside feeding a crying baby Neal, who apparently did not care that the two women hadn't slept.

At 7am Emma was making Regina eggs whilst Regina napped with Neal on the couch.

At 8am Snow was knocking on the door ready to collect Neal, with a bunch of flowers for Regina and a box of chocolates for Emma as a thank you for babysitting. Emma told her mother that she would meet her back home later. Snow raised her eyebrows at the blonde but didn't push it.

At 9am Emma was asking what time Henry was coming home. Regina told her that he wasn't due home until that evening.

At 9.30am Emma and Regina had both showered, changed into comfy Sunday clothes and were snuggled together watching a movie on the couch; both women feeling sensitive and clingy after staying up all night.

At 10.30am both women were asleep on the couch with the TV left forgotten.


	5. Have you really the courage?

Both women woke to Henry walking in through the front door.

"Mom, Ma" What's going on?

"Hey, Kid." Emma released her grip on Regina and practically jumped off the couch. "Your Mom and I were up all last night with the baby. We must have fallen asleep on the couch."

Henry raised his eyebrows in question and Emma smiled, noticing not for the first time, how much he looked like his other mother sometimes. "Where is Neal, now?"

"You grandmother picked him up"

"Then why are you here?"

Emma paused trying to think of a response. Regina who had amusedly been watching the scene play out in front of her, decided that now was the right time to step in and save Emma from their son's accusatory glare. "I told Emma we were having pizza for dinner so she refused to leave."

"Pizza, awesome." Henry smiled at his mother.

"Can I get the one with everything on it?" Both Emma and Henry asked at the exact same time.

Regina laughed at how alike the two were. "Henry, why don't you order it and when it gets here we can re-watch the movie that your Mother and I fell asleep watching earlier."

Both Henry and Emma looked at each other, shocked at Regina's offer to eat dinner anywhere other than the dinner table.

"You better go do it now kid. Before your mom changes her mind."

Henry practically sprinted to the telephone.

An hour later and all three members of the Mills-Swan family were wrapped together under a blanket watching - not the movie that Regina had picked this morning - but Disney's version of Beauty and the Beast. Henry had found an old copy at the Zimmerman's and had borrowed it knowing that his mother had never watched it. Regina had always avoided the Disney 'classics' that were created during her curse, but now that life was good again, they made her laugh.

Henry had originally been sitting in-between his mothers but when he got up to go to the bathroom, Regina, without hesitation shuffled over to Emma's side. When Henry returned he noticed his two mothers side by side and thought that this was a good opportunity to give them a chance to bond. Life was just better when his mom's were 'team moms'.

"Hey Mom and Ma" Henry walked around to the side of the couch and both women turned to face him. "I didn't get much sleep last night, would you guys mind if I head up to bed?"

"That's fin Henry. Have sweet dreams" Regina answered her son and he reached down to kiss her on the cheek.

"Good night kid".

"Goodnight Ma."

Henry ran upstairs and Regina snuggled in closer to Emma. Under the safety of a blanket, Regina reached for Emma's hand, which she held onto for the rest of the film.

It was getting late, the film had ended at least an hour ago and the two women had been sitting together on the couch as Regina listed all the errors in the film and Emma laughed at how the concept of Disney movies made Regina's brain hurt.

"No, I do not want to watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs thank you very much."

"Oh, why not? It would be funny."

"Have you seen how I am depicted in that? An old hag!"

"Oh come on, everyone knows you're the most beautiful woman in Storybrooke, it doesn't matter how a silly cartoon depicts you."

Regina blushed, "Well we still don't need to watch it thank you very much."

"Okay, okay. As you wish, your majesty."

The two women sat in silence for a moment, both knowing that the weekend was coming to an end, and neither woman wanting it to.

"Thank you for helping me with the baby, Regina."

"Any time, Miss Swan."

The two women stared at each other until Emma eventually looked away. "Ok, It's getting late. I should go." Emma stood up, followed by Regina and together the two women walked to the front door.

Both women lingered in the doorway nervously. Emma fidgetingg with her hands and Regina struggling to control her breathing. "Text me when you get home safe."

"I will." Emma lingered in the doorway before reaching down and placing a slow kiss on Regina's cheek. "Ok, bye."

* * *

Regina was in bed when the text message from Emma came through.

_I'm home safe. Thanks for having me_

**I am glad. Sleep well.**

_My bed isn't as comfy as your guest bed _

**I'll chat to Snow about that. I must admit the house feels quiet without you and Baby Neal here.**

_Much to your relieve! Haha_

**Good night Miss Swan**

_Good night Regina_

_And I was just kidding - I know you totally miss me and Neal._

**Only somewhat**

_Liar_

**Maybe**

_We miss you too_

* * *

The next morning was the usual rush around. Regina getting Henry to the bus for school and then herself into the office; Emma trying to dress herself after realizing she left her favorite jeans and jacket at Regina's house and then getting herself to the sheriff station. The morning was uneventful, as it often was without a super villain running around, and both ladies used to the opportunity to catch up on paperwork that, not coincidentally, fell by the wayside whenever there _was _a super villain in town.

Unfortunately for Emma, the blonde did not find paperwork overly entertaining and she could not focus on anything but the way Regina spent most of last night with her hand wrapped around Emma's own. The way the Regina stopped breathing when Emma went in to kiss her on the cheek. The way Regina smelt like vanilla and apples. The way Emma wished she had of been brave enough to kiss her on the lips. Emma shook herself out of her daydream. "Okay, that's it." Emma mumbled to herself, knowing that she needed to do something about the current situation that she had gotten herself into. "It's now or never."

Meanwhile over at the Mayor's office Regina had been grateful for the paperwork that she had to do. Anything to distract from the fact that she smelt like Emma Swan's body lotion and missed the Sheriff more than she could fathom. Today however, being focused and productive was the Mayor's downfall because she finished all her work before it even struck midday. And now all she could do was pace her office and think about the fact that Emma's red leather jacket and skinny jeans were in the back of her Mercedes and if she wanted to go drop them off with Emma at the station, well that would be a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Wouldn't it?

Just as Regina was about to relinquish her last ounce of self-control and go see Emma, the blonde in question threw open the office doors and appeared in the Mayor's office.

"Emma."

"Hey, what are doing?"

"Working, of course." Regina's lie was obvious, as she had been pacing up down her office floor when Emma had walked in, but neither woman mentioned it. "Regina, can we talk about something?"

Regina froze in her place, what ever Emma was going to say, Regina wasn't sure they could handle it. "Emma, I don't think…"

Emma took a step towards Regina, closing any space between them and cut of Regina mid sentence "This weekend" Emma gathered both of Regina's hands in her own and gently run her thumb over the backs of Regina's hands "when I was leaving" Regina could feel Emma's breath on lips "and we were in the doorway of your house" Emma pulled Regina towards her, their bodies practically touching "I really should have kissed you."

Regina couldn't look away from the blonde in front of her, and although she knew that this was going to change (and possibly ruin) everything the mayor couldn't help but be honest with the women standing in front of her. "Yes, you should have." And with that, Regina leaned in and kissed Emma Swan.


End file.
